Object of Obsession
by zali
Summary: 2nd chap is up! Have you ever thought why a Oliver is so obsessive about Quidditch? I cooked this up to live up to my theory. Enjoy!!!
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Me no own Harry Potter, Oliver Wood, Percy Weasley, and rest of characters from all HP books. But me do own Charlottie and other unfamiliar characters! Meow! =) c"_,)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)0o 

Sorry for the mix up! Got too used uploading Hey Arnold stories! 

**Chapter One: Birthday Affairs**

The warm sunlight traveled through the seventh year girl's dormitory in the Gryffindor tower. The early sun, hinting that an exciting day was coming along, glinted to awaken the five sleepy heads. 

An alarm went off somewhere in the room and a few sleepy groans could be heard from the five four-poster beds around the room. At first, soft shuffling of tired footsteps and stirring could be heard. Then suddenly, without warning, a scream broke the intensely muffled sleepy sounds.   
"Presents!" screamed a fuzzy black headed girl with immensely blurred glasses.   
An excited shuffling now filled the room as four crumple-dressed girls swarmed around the middle bed. Its owner was still in bed and didn't realize that all of them had surrounded her four-poster.   
"Hey, Charlottie!" squealed a rumpled, bushy redhead as she yanked on the sheets and prodded the lump about the bed to wake her up.   
"What is it?" groaned an irritated voice from under the sheets.   
"You've got presents!" said an over-excited blonde with blazing blue-green eyes. Her lavender sleeping-gown hanging off one of her shoulders as she bounced in her place.   
"Charlottie," said a girl with sleek black hair and stupefying dark blue eyes, "why do you have a lot of presents at the end of March?"   
"What!" said Charlottie, a slender girl with long and straight auburn hair, the cutest almond shaped dark brown eyes and five small yet visible moles on her left cheek. Her eyes were suddenly puffy and wide with shock as she sat up instantly on her bed and stared at the pile of parcels on top of her trunk at the foot of her bed. She got up and went beside the others who were gawking at her pile of parcels.   
"I didn't tell them to do anything…oh, NO!" said Charlottie, her sleepy face all screwed up and a number of lines were creasing on her forehead.   
"What is it?" asked Serenede Winifred, the over-excited blonde with blue-green eyes, her expression changed from over-excited to confusion, "Were these very, very late Christmas presents and they tried to make it up to you by sending these?"   
"No." said Charlottie, her voice as flat as an ironed clothing.   
"Then what's wrong?" said Alletty Umpham, the girl with sleek black hair and stupefying dark blue eyes, "It's not like they were sent to torment you—"   
"Trust me," said Charlottie, her voice now filled with sarcasm, "They're sent to ruin my life."   
"What d'you mean?" asked Nanzel Wadsworth, the rumpled, bushy redhead, her eyebrows uneven in a confused look.   
"Yeah, I don't understand it," said Carey Whitcombe, the fuzzy black headed girl with immensely blurred glasses, "How is a pile of presents going to ruin your life if they're so full of—"   
"Embarrassing and humiliating stuff." Charlottie finished for her, a mortified look on her face.   
"It can't be that bad," said Alletty, she put a comforting hand on Charlottie's shoulder, "Besides, presents can be really cool, sweet and sometimes, even surprising!"   
"Yeah," said Nanzel, a mortified look on her face, "my Great Aunt Mary Austin gave me a Magical Burping Toad last summer for my birthday. It burped every time I did something inaccurately even if it was an accident so my mum and dad were usually blowing down my back."   
"Oh my!" said Serenede, clapping a hand to her right cheek, "What a horrible present! Did you try and get rid of it?"   
"I tried, but my mum caught me and said that I was trying to get rid of it so I could lie about what I did wrong." said Nanzel.   
"Did you try the Avada Kedavra Curse? That might've done the trick…" Alletty suggested, an evil grin on her face.   
"You very well know that it is illegal," said Nanzel, accusingly waving a finger at Alletty. Her flaming green eyes in a know-it-all stare. She tries her hardest to beat Charlottie at everything, which is impossible because she really isn't as smart as Charlottie. Nanzel also tries to boss people around, sweeping her bushy red hair at all of them. But there's a hitch, Alletty, keen and observant of her every movement gladly takes the challenge of catching her make a mistake and see her flop.   
"It's only illegal if done to a fellow human being!" said Alletty, looking triumphant and ready to kill. Her dark blue eyes made her look even more like an evil sorceress than a good-natured witch. Because of her sleek black hair, she looks like the modern type of witch like the ones you see in some of the modern witchcraft movies. But the truth is, she is very cool, kind and fun loving to her roommates and friends.   
"All right, all right!" said Carey, putting herself in the middle of Nanzel and Alletty, her hazel eyes flashing behind her blurred glasses and silencing the two. Carey was the one who controls their group. She's the one you'd call the adamant girl of Gryffindor tower. She can make you hold your tongue and keep it in for the whole day. Her penetrating hazel eyes like daggers and she has a slight resemblance to Professor McGonagall: her stern look that can silence people all around and her blurred, almost squared glasses. In some cases where Nanzel and Alletty fight, she would be the referee in the match. "You two are acting like Ickle half-witted first years!"   
Serenede suppressed a giggle that made them turn to her direction. Tension rising in the atmosphere, Carey returned to gain control of the two by pointing both her index fingers at their noses and making Serenede about to laugh.   
"All right, let's stop all this nonsense and watch Charlottie open her presents." said Carey, tilting her head at the patiently waiting and trying-to-avoid-getting-into-trouble, Charlottie's direction.   
"Okay," answered the two but still eyeing each other. This kind of situation would be called normal in the seventh year girl's dormitory. Most of the time, shrieks and screams are heard from their part of the tower. But the rest of the Gryffindor students found this as normal as having the Weasley twins setting up tricks on everything around the tower.   
"Hey!" squealed Serenede, bouncing up and down, making her blond hair gleam as she pointed at something beside Charlottie's four-poster, "Look at this one! It must be something expensive!"   
The other girls shuffled to where she was and took a good look at what she was so excited about.   
"What is it?" asked Carey, her blurred glasses flashing in curiosity.   
"Ooohhh…" a hush fell as everyone got a clearer view of what it was. 

There, right under Charlottie's bedside table, was an enormous wooden crate wrapped in brilliant red Japanese paper and golden stringy ribbons. It was neatly placed just under the drawer and a small envelope, probably a note, stuck out from the many tangles of ribbons.   
"Who do you think is it from?" asked Alletty so suddenly that the other four jumped.   
"I don't know…" said Charlottie as she stepped forward to come inspect the crate. She bent down and tried to heave it to the top of her bed but it was, obviously, too heavy, "Eow!"   
"What were you thinking?!" roared Carey, her face in a know-it-all-you're-not-supposed-to-do-such-stupid-thing, "Of course, it's heavy! What, you're expecting that it would be light?!"   
Now, Carey had her hands on her hips and shaking her head with disapproval. Charlottie, on the other hand, has had enough.   
"Oh shut up, Carey!" snapped Charlottie, seemingly more dangerous than Carey whenever she's enraged or infuriated.   
Charlottie snatched her wand from under one of her pillows, deciding that it was better not to waste their time.   
"Wingardium Leviosa!" chanted Charlottie, with exasperation evident in her voice. 

The crate floated slowly from beneath the bedside table and silently, Charlottie lead it towards her trunk. The other four watched a master witch at work.   
She made the crate land on her redwood trunk with a soft 'thud'. Then, they all shuffled towards the crate and as Charlottie chanted "Diffindo" and made the paper rip easily, they moved in closer. They opened the lid and a mixture of sweet, fuzzy, minty and every heavenly scent surrounded them.   
The crate was filled with tens and thousands of different kinds of sweets from Honeyduke's Sweet Shop at the wizarding village, Hogsmeade.   
"Wow!" was all the four of them could express as their eyes gapped from the dozens of boxes of Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans to the infinite packs of Chocolate Frogs to the numerous bundles of Sugar Quills. With the exception of Charlottie, interrogations, suggestions, skepticism, and fantasies of the delicious, mouthwatering sight made their way to the girls' thoughts. They were about to mention their inquisition to Charlottie when they found her silent and had her head hanging down. 

"What's the matter, Charlottie?" asked Nanzel, her green eyes filled with worry, "Don't you like them? It's possibly the whole Sweets' Shop in one huge five-ton wooden crate. I'm sure you must at least like them."   
"Nothing," said Charlottie, lifting her head and plastered a weak smile on her face to assure the others that she was all right, "I just remembered something I needed to do."   
"Well, whatever it is, it's got to have something to do with all these sweets!" said an excited Serenede.   
"I can relate!" said Carey, a glint of cold hunger in her used-to-be stern hazel eyes, "Suddenly, my stomach just went empty and I feel the need for a large and delicious breakfast!" she eyed the sweets and rubbed her hands as if an evil scheme was coming to mind, and she added to give effect, "Even though I did promise myself I would continue to watch out for my in between meals habit."   
All of them burst out in a chorus of hearty laughter at the memory of having to put a body bind spell on Carey on their third year at Hogwarts and all the trouble that caused them to get their hands on a potion to make her taste buds shrivel so she won't like the taste of the food she ate and momentarily disliking the food in front of her. But as they were third years, the only useful person was Charlottie. Carey, now slim and beautiful, didn't have a care in the world about the food the she eats. And to make matters even more serious, she is currently having a hot relationship with a handsome seventh year and goes by the name, Harper McGinley. The very reason she wanted to give her body a ship-shape shape to impress him. She's been "in love" with Harper since their 2nd year and it turned out that he, Harper, with his tanned features, light brown hair, beautiful blue eyes, and dazzling smile, had been "in love" with her and had admired her secretly, in the same way. Impossible, some would say, because of Carey's size and low self-confidence but that wasn't what Harper saw. What he saw was her firm, neat, matter-of-fact attitude toward her studies, her wittiness towards her large size and her cheerfulness towards her friends. But this didn't stop her from going on with the diet and loosing all that weight. 

"So, who's it from?" asked Alletty, curiosity shinning in her pale eyes.   
"Um… I don't know, really…" said Charlottie, somehow trying to be stupid so suddenly that suspicions arose.   
"But wasn't there a card?" asked a perky Serenede, a tad confused, though.   
"Yeah, it's tangled with that stringy ribbon," said Carey as she bent down, snatched the tangled golden web of a ribbon and exclaimed "It's here!" before straightening up and waved it for them to see. 

The four of them curiously drew nearer to Charlottie as Carey untangled the heavy looking envelope from the stringy ribbon and handed it to her.   
"Open it! Open it! Squealed Serenede, surging with excitement and jumping up and down.   
"Shh!!!" the other three dealt her to keep quiet.   
Charlottie didn't mind her nor the other three because her mind was obviously centered on a certain envelope. She tore open the envelope and a thick, black parchment stuck out. It had a sort of glow or glitter coming from it that looked like fine, magical gold dust but finer because it can only be seen by the gleam of the sunlight coming from the window. A scent of sweet Cherry blossom overtook them, coming from the parchment, itself.   
A combination of '_Oohs_' and '_Aahs_' were heard around the silent room as the other four took in the card's appearance. Charlottie took the black parchment out and saw an untidy scribble of words in bold letters and what seemed to be sparkly silver ink with a soft silver glitter that hang motionlessly around. It had the words written: 

To Charlottie:   
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!   
I hope you'll like this!   
_*though I was thinking that it was too much*_   
From: Me 

"Who's ME?" asked Serenede with a confused frown.   
"Don't be daft, Serenede!" said Alletty, aggravated, "It obviously means that someone doesn't want us to know he sent it to Charlottie! It's probably from someone who attends this school and he must be close to Charlottie, as well and has got to have a load of gold and wittiness to have bought a whole sweets-shop-in-a-crate for her!" Alletty ranted on and on, once started, can never stop especially when it's a sneaky topic.   
Charlottie snapped out from her gaze on the card and was about to comment on Alletty's incredulous assumptions when Carey suddenly added in.   
"She's right, y'know," added Carey, not giving Charlottie a chance to voice out.   
"_Or_ it could be someone who just wants her to either gain a ton or pull a silly prank on her." said Nanzel, trying a different approach and obviously trying to prove that she had a more conclusive mind than that of the others, especially Alletty.   
"There's no way the person sent these to pull a prank or to try to have Charlottie walking around looking like an over-inflated balloon," interjected Alletty, as intelligently as she can and setting her eyebrows high up wickedly. She was eyeing Nanzel with a cunning grin, receiving a piercing glance from her that would have jolts of electricity surging from them, "It's just too sweet to send someone a whole crate filled with sweets… it's just too… admirer type of thing to do…" she gave a sly shrug.   
"Really?!" squealed Serenede, her head bobbing with excitement, "Does that mean somebody's trying to tell Charlottie that he wants to have a date with her?"   
"No! Of course,—" as much as Charlottie tried to interject, Alletty quickly continued on as if she didn't hear Charlottie's pursuit to end the discussion.   
"No! Not just a date," said Alletty, correcting Serenede's question, "probably, this guy's even in love with her and is just to shy to admit his feelings publicly!" a triumphant smile eased its way on Alletty's face as she glanced at Charlottie with teasing eyes.   
"Really?! Wow!!! I can't wait to meet him! D'you know who he is, Charlottie?" said Serenede, clapping her hands and bouncing to Charlottie's side, taking her left arm and hugging it happily.   
"No! Of course, not! You wouldn't know if—"   
And again, she was cut off by Alletty who simply wouldn't give up teasing her.   
"The only problem is, he hasn't sent anything before…" said Alletty, a thoughtful twinkle in her eyes as she gazed at nothing and rubbing her perfectly shaped chin with her slender thumb, deep in thought.   
"Yes, and to top it all off he sent it on our last year at Hogwarts…" offered Carey, mimicking the look on Alletty's face and rubbing her chin in a serious pondering.   
"Oh, come off it!" burst Charlottie, shaking her head in disbelief, breaking their train of thoughts about the mystery man, "You don't really know if it were boy or a girl, the one who sent this!" she pointed at the crate overflowing with sweets, "You haven't got a proof!"   
Now she was getting frustrated.   
"Now, now, just take a look." said Nanzel, gesturing towards the crate, "A girl would certainly not send something like that to you… but a boy would. And also, the handwriting is just too… untidy to be a girl's…" Nanzel took her hand holding the enchanted card and pointed at the words written on it, as proof.   
"Oh, this is bloody mad!" said Charlottie, obviously getting irritated with all their silly, unfathomable proclamations about a secret admirer, "Let's go down and have some breakfast, I'm famished!" she flicked her wand and muttered some well chosen words to get the crate and the other parcels off her trunk for her to get some of her clothes.   
"But what about the rest of your presents?" asked Serenede, pouting and glancing at the scattered pile of parcels on the floor with obvious longing.   
"I'll open them some other time," reasoned Charlottie, waving a dismissive hand and closed herself behind the hangings of her four-poster bed to change into her clothes.   
"Awww…" whined Serenede, a huge frown on her used to be jovial face. 

The others went back into their respective beds to change as well but they didn't know what Charlottie was doing inside her four-poster… 

"How dare he!" whispered Charlottie, both pain and loathing searing in her voice as she sat on her pillows, resting her back and head on the elegantly carved wooden panel of her bed, "I'll never forgive him!"   
She sat there, silent for a moment, clutching the black parchment tightly and crumpling it, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. She finally sat up and pulled on some different clothes, sniffed silently, roughly wiped the moist of tears from her eyes, jabbed the black parchment card into the front pocket of her over-all jumper, and went out the dormitory with her friends. 

___________________End Of First Chapter___________________   
What'd'ya think? Pwees review me work and tell I if me should continue with this stowy. =)   
c"_,)_)_)_)_)_)_)0o –Wormmymon woves you!!!   
Guess who me talking 'bout?! 


	2. Breakfast Babble

Hello ppl! Sorry if don't upload often. I've been currently writing articles for the school paper and some other stuff as well. Thanks! c"_,)_)_)_)_)_)_)0o –Wormmymon woves you!!!   


Disclaimer: Me no own Harry Potter, Oliver Wood, Percy Weasley, and rest of characters from all HP books. But me do own Charlottie and other original characters! Meow! =) 

**Chapter Two: Breakfast Babble**

"Morning!" The girls wearily greeted their fellow Gryffindors.   
"Hullo, late-risers!" greeted back a deep, annoyingly cheery voice. 

It was Harper McGinley, greeting the girls as they found seats around the crowded Gryffindor table for breakfast, of course, Carey sat beside him as he was her boyfriend. 

"We're not late-risers, okay!" argued Carey as she playfully whacked Harper on the arm.   
"Well, at least you are today!" intercepted a tall lad with light brown hair, unique gray eyes hidden behind oval shaped glasses and lusciously red lips that are every girl's dream to give a kiss. His name, Welles Eastwick, Nanzel's cousin and permanent bicker partner.   
"We have our reasons," snapped Nanzel as she sat between Welles and a raven-haired boy with dark blue eyes and a small loop earring on his left ear. This lad's name is Bryton Sandburg.   
Bryton was the renowned all around cool guy. Half the population of girls in the school voted for that a few weeks back.   
"What are they, then? Your reasons, I mean," asked Bryton, coolly running a hand through his unruly hair.   
"Girl business, if you please," said Charlottie, sitting in front of him, with Serenede to her right, "And it's obviously none of your business when it comes to that."   
"She's right y'know," said Alletty, stacking pancakes onto her plate, "A girl's business is a girl's business. No need of men piracy."   
"What are you talking about, over there?" snapped an irritated voice from the far left. The speaker had flaming red hair, brown eyes, horn-rimmed glasses, and a long face with a scowl plastered on that made it look longer. It was Percy Weasley, concentrated on a book that could easily be mistaken as a large piece of a solid red brick.   
"Sorry, Perce." said Charlottie, earnestly waving at him for emphasis.   
"He's been at it for a fortnight," whispered Bryton from across the table. He lowered his head to signal a secretive chat, the others complied, "Said he had to be at the top of the class to get into the Ministry."   
"He's desperate, then?" said Alletty, not troubling to keep her voice low as she drank her pumpkin juice.   
"Shh! Keep it down!" hissed Welles, pushing his glasses up his nose before adding in, "He said that he was going for the top of the whole school. Something about making a record or whatever it is that he said. Also said he wants to beat his brothers at the academics department… he even plans on beating you, Charlottie."   
Seven pairs of brightly colored eyes turned to Charlottie who was listening but was hurriedly finishing her buttered toast and pumpkin juice.   
"I'm not saying that I'm any better than him, but _I_ also have a lot of work to do," said Charlottie in a passive voice as she stood up, gave her friends a waning smile that only meant she rose to accept the challenge placed in front of her, and strode off towards the Marble staircase.   
"But it's the Easter Holidays!" yelled Carey at Charlottie's retreating back.   
"I know but examinations are coming, I need to finish the whole lot so I could start skimming my notes!" Charlottie yelled back without turning a head before disappearing at the top of the Marble staircase.   
"That lassie's desperate, as well," said Harper, tutting and shaking his head helplessly.   
"No." said Carey, absent-mindedly and in deep thought, "She's not desperate… she's obsessed."   
The whole lot of them were silent for a moment, letting Carey's comment sink in, when Serenede who had been busy eating all throughout, finally entered the discussion   
"Does that mean she wants to do all the work for a small grade?" asked Serenede, tilting her head in confusion to what Carey uttered a moment ago; showing her naiveté in all its glory.   
The others snorted and shook their heads in disbelief.   
"No, Serenede." said a frustrated Alletty as she poured herself another round of pumpkin juice, "It means Charlottie just wants to work and work and work because she likes it! Honestly! How in bloody hell did you pass all those classes?!" Alletty, no longer frustrated, was utterly disbelieving the fact that the innocent yet unconditionally pretty seventh year in front of her could be more oblivious about the simplest of things.   
"You know, if you think it over… deeply, something about what Serenede said held a bit of truth. Or maybe a great deal of truth…" said Carey, adjusting her glasses and tucking a stray of black strand behind her ear.   
"What d'you mean?" said Nanzel, disbelieving could be right; beating her in terms of the intellect.   
"I'll tell you later… it has something to do with him." said Carey in a low whisper, her eyes were following a tall, burly and simply handsome lad with short auburn hair, brown eyes and a dazed look on his face. He was carrying a black, leather-bound book with a quill between the pages on one hand and a small model of a Quidditch pitch on the other. Yes, him. Oliver Wood.   
"_Him_?" asked Bryton, loud enough for everyone to hear.   
Almost everyone in the Great Hall swiveled around to look at him, including a deranged Percy Weasley, the adoring girls from every table, the snickering Slytherin seventh year boys and even the grim faced Oliver Wood.   
"Oh, sorry." muttered Bryton as a slight pink shone on his cheeks, then he added awkwardly, "Just discussing…"   
"Beowulf and his great successes in driving away the monsters that wrecked havoc in his land and people," whispered Alletty, helping him to cover up his blunder.   
"Beowulf's adventures!" said Bryton as if he knew what he was talking about. And made it even more convincing by adding a brilliant smile.   
A tumult number of girls swooned. Some of them were overheard saying in a giddy voice, "He's so brilliant! He's not just a handsome face, he has brains as well!" which was obviously annoying. 

"What does Charlottie have to do with him?!" hissed Bryton, ignoring the swoons and faced Carey with agitated and impatient eyes.   
"Easy, old boy!" said Harper who was between him and Carey, and trying to restrain him from pouncing on his girlfriend.   
"Tell me NOW!" urged Bryton; he was very persistent on finding out about Charlottie's involvement with other men… boys.   
Carey, giving up, sighed heavily and quietly told them to hurry and finish up what they were eating. They did so and streaked out of the Great Hall in a crooked line, up the Marble staircase towards the painting of the Fat Lady and giving her the password. They all shuffled into the Gryffindor common room, finding seats as far away from prying ears as possible. They decided to sit near a window then gathered some chairs around Carey and Harper who were seated on the windowpane. 

They were all ears as Carey made sure that no one was listening. Bryton was the most anxious of them all because it was a known fact in their house that he has been interested in Charlottie since their fourth year at Hogwarts. It was also known to every one of Bryton's admirer that he was interested in Charlottie, hence jealous remarks often came her way but she was used to it thanks to some unfairly, rude Slytherin seventh years who have been wanting to be on top of the class ever since first year. And besides, Charlottie had had a lot of experiences with loathsome students. What with her perfectly slender body, long auburn hair that reached her thighs, expressive almond shaped dark brown eyes and five curiously small moles aligned from beneath her left eye, proceeding to her left cheek that others rumored to be the path of her tears, though she had never cried for years. Hundreds of innocent, fickle-minded boys were bound to fall madly in love for her. Thus, making Bryton a sly fly tailing her. 

"If you all remember our first year here at Hogwarts, you'd know why Charlottie was and still is such an insufferable know-it-all," Carey started in a low whisper, "If you've noticed, before we even started on actual Transfiguration, she already knew almost everything, the same way in Charms, Herbology, Defense Against the Dark Arts and so on and so forth. She was just like that Granger girl, one of Potter's best friends? Only, Charlottie never ceases to amaze people because she rarely had to open a book. She does suck herself up when we visited Hogsmeade or during break times, lunch and even during those Quidditch matches! She would always stay either at the library or here at the common room, doing all her reports, researches, background of every possible thing she might have overseen and every possible work available that she can do. She never had time for going around, being a girl or even just being a child, and having fun. She never fancied the things most girls would usually do at their age. Nor did she fancy any guy; not that she needed to…" Carey paused then glanced at Bryton in particular, making him understand, before continuing, "Anyway, what she wanted the most was to work, study and learn as much as she can even if there's no given reward for her. Mind you, her mum doesn't even encourage her to study that much, but instead tries to get her to go out once in a while and have fun for a change.—"   
"Yes, but what does all of that have to do with _Oliver Wood_?" asked an impatient Bryton, shuffling his fingers nervously.   
"I'm getting there," hissed Carey, just as agitated, "It seems rather impossible for a girl of her age to not know a thing about fun. You remember that do you?" the three other girls nodded as they recalled their experiences with her during first year, then Carey continued, "It's also impossible to think that any of you would believe me if I said that an obsessed, workaholic person like Charlottie used to be best of friends with a giddy, Quidditch obsessed person like Oliver."   
"WHAT!" 

The whole common room; which was already packed with breakfast-filled students, fell silent and stared at their half-guilty, half-shocked faces. The majority of the students in the common room were looking daggers at them for disturbing the still air of chitchat where they worked for extra assignments and advanced preparations for the examinations.   
Guilty and preventing others from over-hearing their own conversation, Carey and Alletty quickly muttered a number of 'sorrys' for everyone else. Once the tension was gone and the other students went back to their own businesses, their attention was diverted back to Carey.   
"Now where did I stop?" she asked, adjusting her glasses.   
"Oliver Wood being Charlottie Hengins' bestfriend." intercepted Bryton, ignoring some sixth year girls who just passed by and swooned behind him.   
"Oh, right," whispered Carey and lowered her voice a few more notches, "It seems pretty unbelievable that they used to be inseparable when they were just children. Most people would believe that a starting relationship like that would last forever, even when they both get married to different people and have children of their own and die of old age, it would still last. But, somehow, their relationship took a big twist just a few months before they entered Hogwarts as first years."   
"What happened?" asked a wide-eyed Serenede.   
"Charlottie's father died…" Carey said it in a dead whisper that it could barely be heard.   
But they all heard it, alright. And they were all consumed in silence for a moment. For a whole minute, no one spoke a word nor moved an inch in his or her seat. The silence was only broken when Harper asked the question that mingled in all their minds.   
"_How_?" he asked, his voice held a glint of sadness and remorse.   
"I don't know how…" answered Carey, taking Harper's hand that gripped her shoulder firmly and looped her own fingers through his.   
"How did you know, then? That her father died, I mean?" asked Alletty as she ran a hand through her long, black hair. Her voice was seemingly coarse, a first for the whole time they've known her.   
"My dad used to work for her dad," said Carey, a dazed look on her face. Harper put a soothing arm around her shoulders and drew her closer, but Carey continued, "If it weren't for her dad, my father would never have entered the Ministry's top committees. Our family had a bit of problem back then and because Dad's party, the Committee for Unethically Deranged and Unreliable Wizards, was closed down because a more advanced group was laid out by the new Minister. So my dad lost his job and Mr. Hengins heard about it. He, being a helpful man and believing in second chances and trusted the untrustworthy, gave my dad a job as his partner."   
"What kind of job?" asked Serenede, curiously.   
"Committee for Illegally Exported Magical Goods," answered Carey in a hoarse voice, "My dad had a hard time indeed, but it was the best he had ever had. He loved working for Mr. Hengins. No matter what the difficulties. We are eternally grateful for his kindness… that's also how I got to know more about Charlottie than any of you did because we've met a few times before we entered Hogwarts.   
Back then, Charlottie was like a boy, instead of a girl, always running around with her bestfriend, Oliver. Playing at a back marsh was their favorite hobby especially when there's a big pool of mud after the rain. They all lived without pain, problems, or unhappy thoughts that would keep them awake at night. I never saw Oliver without Charlottie, or Charlottie without Oliver. But then, Mr. Hengins died… I didn't know how, but he did. It was so unexpected that it turned their lives completely around that neither one of them could stop it…"   
At about this time, Carey had her head resting against Harper's shoulder and the rest of them pondered on the thought that Carey had, once again, left hanging out in the open.   
"How did they break apart?" asked Nanzel, toying with a few strands of her bushy red hair.   
"I was hoping no one would ask about that… it's too… just mind boggling and I don't know the whole story of it," said Carey, sniffing at a tissue Serenede had given her.   
"Tell us what you know, then," suggested Alletty.   
"I don't think that's such a good idea, I mean, let's give it a rest for now… maybe later." said Harper, worry evident in his voice as he stroked Carey's hair.   
"No," said Carey, firmly, "I'll tell them… they need to know. They deserve to."   
She looked at Harper who defeatedly nodded in agreement.   
"Have you all ever wondered what that black book contains?" asked Carey, lowering her voice even more.   
"What black book?" asked a confused Welles, whisking a cluster of light brown hair away from his face.   
"The one that Charlottie's been carrying around for ages."   
"No, I haven't." said Bryton, knotting his eyebrows, "What else would she bring besides her school books?"   
"It's sure as hell that you don't know an inkling about the girl you claim to _adore_." said Alletty with a smirk plastered on her face as she forced herself to keep her eyes on Carey instead of Bryton who was glaring at her with utmost loathing.   
"_Enough childishness_!" hissed Welles as flashing his uniquely expressive gray eyes upon them, quieting them down.   
"I'm not sure what that book really contained," said Carey after a short pause, "But I was informed by my father ages ago that there was a bit of trouble between a Muggle and a wizard who had nothing and decided to sell his possessions as a scrap dealer. He said that Mr. Hengins solved the problem and got the senseless old wizard off the hook from the Ministry. So in thanks to his kindness, the wizard gave Mr. Hengins a rare black book that can show some of the most important things you want to keep that you want someone to read in the future. But you have to choose a certain someone who will be able to open it with a given password. And I'm guessing that that's what Charlottie's been carrying around, trying to open it. Her father's journal."   
"But what does an old journal have to do with anything!?" Bryton was now fuming with impatience that boiled inside of him that if he hadn't asked, he would have exploded.   
"_Shh_!" hisses found their way as the lot of them concealed Bryton's ferreting.   
"Everything!" Carey answered for his outburst, as if Bryton had asked in a casual tone.   
"But, how? I mean, Charlottie and Oliver separated because of an enchanted journal?" asked Nanzel, sounding as if she thought that the idea was preposterous.   
"Look," said Carey, frustration in her voice as she gave the others a look, telling them not to interrupt her, "If you love someone very much like your father, someone who has taught you everything… everything you know in life. But the problem is you didn't understand it then because you were just a child, and then that person dies before he can explain it further for you as you grow older, you'll want to keep the only thing that's left of him with you and try to learn how to open it!"   
Carey breathed deeply before looking at their guilty faces and continued again, "Now, what I know is that Charlottie wanted so badly to learn how to open that book to see what her father wanted for her or what he felt or if he loved her as much as he loved him or what her father was trying to tell her… but she never did find out… up until now." Carey said, her voice was now hoarse from telling the long tale.   
Just before anyone of them could move a muscle or voice out a comment, Oliver Wood approached their group so suddenly that they all jumped.   
"Oliver! Um? hello…" said Alletty. It was so obvious that she was hiding something; all of them, at that. They looked at him with guilty faces, except for Bryton who had an ugly scowl across his face. Though, these indications were so apparent, Oliver, somehow, didn't notice that there was something wrong because he, too, was a bit preoccupied.   
"Welles, did you borrow my scrapbook?" asked Oliver, frustration and distaste in his voice. His face was all screwed up with his eyebrows knitted together, as if they were glued together.   
"Um… what scrapbook?" asked Welles in confusion.   
"The one you always borrow from me!" Oliver seethed impatiently.   
"The one with the Arithmancy notes at the back?" Welles answered slowly as he winced.   
"YES!" hissed Oliver, his jaws were clenched and his eyes bulged in agitation. Then, without warning, he exploded with fury that was way too obvious, "I don't remember _you_ asking _me_ if you can borrow it nor me allowing you to borrow it!!!"   
"Yes, you did! And I asked you just two days ago if I could borrow it so I can copy the rest of the notes!" Welles bellowed back, "You might not have noticed because you had your eyes glued to that Quidditch thing!"   
"That is absolutely none of your damned business!" Oliver had yelled his voice hoarse, and once again, the Gryffindor common room was dead silent. Death stares were, again, given their way. It would've been worse if Carey hadn't done so much as to step in the conversation; intercepting them all.   
Please, discuss this matter in an orderly _and_ civil manner." said Carey, that firm hold and strict air making its way through her voice.   
"FINE!"   
Both were fuming and obviously too stubborn to forgive and forget. But then…   
"Bloody Hell! Are you _really_ taking your studies seriously, Oliver?! Or do you just study on a holiday?" asked Alletty, a fake and unmistakable mocking of awe in her voice. She gave out a gasp that had the same amount of sarcasm.   
"No," said Oliver in irritation, "Quidditch final's on Saturday! D'you think I have the bloody time to study?! _NO_!"   
And with that, he stormed down the spiral staircase to the seventh year boys' dormitories.   
"Definitely got his priorities all wrong, that lad." said Alletty in a defeated voice. She shook her head sadly and turned her attention back to Carey. She was about to make another comment when her eyes suddenly widened as it wandered across the common room and fell upon the hole that was the entrance to the Gryffindor common room.   
"Charlottie…" a strangled squeal came from the pit of Alletty's throat.   
Indeed, it was Charlottie, carrying a very large and heavy stack of books. Her face was all red from running, probably, and she was breathing sharply to go with it.   
"Carey, can I borrow a role of parchment?" asked Charlottie, breathing heavily as she approached the guilty faced group. Though, Charlottie didn't notice it either and just continued talking on, "I left my extra roles in the library. And I didn't want to go all the way back so that I wouldn't waste any more time. So, can I borrow some of yours?"   
"Sure, sure." said Carey, waving a hand at Charlottie, trying to be as casual as possible.   
"Thanks! I'll pay you back when I'm done working later," said Charlottie, giving them a warm smile.   
"No need!" said Carey, waving yet, another dismissive hand at Charlottie.   
"What! That's a conspiracy! Of course, I have to pay you back! It's the only fair way to '_do unto others what you want others to do unto you_'! Even friends are encouraged to practice to do such." Charlottie said all this very fast while the group stayed stock still; cautious. And she was only cut off when a preoccupied, grunting and muttering Oliver appeared out of nowhere.   
"Welles, did you happen to have borrowed my red ink bottle, as well?" asked Oliver. He, himself, didn't have his eyes on who he was talking to, what more the ones surrounding him! He was only listening for the unsaid answer while prodding a large, tattered quill on what looked like a thick drawing book or sketch book.   
"Welles! I said—"   
Oliver finally took his eyes off the book he was holding and turned his impatient eyes on Welles. It was only to find Welles staring back at him blankly as if he was waiting for Oliver to make an interesting move. 

___________________End Of Second Chapter___________________ 

What'd'ya think? Pwees review me work and tell I if me should continue with this stowy. =)   
c"_,)_)_)_)_)_)_)0o –Wormmymon woves you!!! 


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